CVE-2016-6842
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Open-Xchange OX App Suite before 7.8.2-rev8. Setting the user's name to JS code makes that code execute when selecting that user's "Templates" folder from OX Documents settings. This requires the folder to be shared to the victim. Malicious script code can be executed within a user's context. This can lead to session hijacking or triggering unwanted actions via the web interface (sending mail, deleting data etc.).
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceA stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Open-Xchange OX App Suite allows attackers to inject malicious JavaScript code into user display names. When a victim views a shared 'Templates' folder from an attacker whose name contains the payload, the script executes in the victim's browser context, enabling session hijacking or unauthorized actions like sending mail or deleting data.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data<= 7.8.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed OX App Suite versionRun 'rpm -q open-xchange-appsuite' or check the administration panel for the version number under System > Extras > InfoAffected if The installed version is 7.8.2 or earlier (anything <= 7.8.2)
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Confirm Templates folder sharing is enabledCheck the configuration file /opt/open-xchange/etc/folders.properties for 'com.openexchange.folder.storage.publicTemplates' or look for public folder templates in the admin UI under Folder > Public Folders > TemplatesAffected if Public Templates folders are accessible or shareable in the environment
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Review existing user display names for suspicious patternsQuery the database: 'SELECT id, display_name FROM user WHERE display_name LIKE '%<%' OR display_name LIKE '%script%';' or export user list from admin panel and search for HTML/script tagsAffected if Any user account has a display name containing HTML tags, script elements, or javascript: patterns
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Check server access logs for XSS exploitation attemptsReview logs in /var/log/open-xchange/access.log for requests containing display name data with encoded script tags, or grep for 'Templates' folder access with unusual URL parametersAffected if Logs show访问 to Templates folders with malicious payloads in user identifiers
You are affected if running OX App Suite version 7.8.2 or earlier AND public Templates folder sharing is enabled AND users have display names containing script tags or HTML.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade to OX App Suite version 7.8.2-rev8 or later, which includes proper input sanitization for user display names. Additionally, implement Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and validate/sanitize all user-supplied input across the application.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6842 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-6842 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data